Who is responsible for Pakistan sports sharp decline?

Since independence Pakistan sports are on the map. International sports performances by Pakistan in the last seven decades have much to commend them. Arguably, Pakistan’s performances in many sports have inspired many countries to emulation to future achievements. But the last two decades have been a different story altogether. Over the years, Pakistan sports have gone to the dogs. Pakistan’s performance in international sports is no longer consistent with its population and economic bases. In late 1950s and early 1960s, we were amongst the top five sporting nations in Asia and have now come down to the lowest. We used to excel in major sports. Now we are not even amongst the first 30 out of 45 participating countries in the Asian Games. For instance, at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games in Indonesia, we won only four medals and that too bronze. This placed Pakistan at the 34th place behind countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Thailand, Taiwan, Iran and North Korea. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, Pakistan clinched only five medals: one gold and four bronze, thus ending behind smaller nations like Fiji, Bahamas and Papua New Guinea. This was the below par performance by Pakistan in the quadrennial event in which an 87-member national contingent took part in ten disciplines.

Anybody outside the country who spent time watching the last Olympic Games — Rio Olympics 2016 in Brazil– might not realise that sports are played in Pakistan. Pakistan, one of the most populous nations, failed to win a medal in Rio de Janeiro. This isn’t the performance of a country that values sports. Most of us would have already forgotten the athletes who represented Pakistan at the Rio Olympics 2016. The country was represented by seven athletes, who competed in the qualification phases of their respective events and none of them went beyond this stage and neither did they look close to competing with their highly skilled, trained and battle-hardened opponents. It is lamentable that Rio 2016 was no different from London 2012, Beijing 2008 or any of the preceding Olympics going back to Atlanta 1996, with Pakistan returning empty-handed from each of the last six Olympic Games. The sum total of Pakistan’s Olympics achievement since 1947 is ten medals. Eight in hockey, including three golds, one each in wrestling and boxing. Pakistan haven’t won a medal for 24 years. After conclusion of every mega international event, in which Pakistan took part, there had been a hue and cry over the dismal state of affairs but in vain. The fact is that Pakistan continues to nosedive further as time passes and one isn’t even sure if we have hit our lowest point yet.

Pakistan won their last Olympic medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, the Cricket World Cup in 1992, the Hockey World Cup in 1994 and the World Snooker Championship in 1994. There have been successes like the 2009 World Twenty20 title, the IBSF World Snooker Championship crown in 2012 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 triumph, but such victories have been few and far between. Over the years, not one, not two but almost all sports have experienced a sharp slump in our country. It goes beyond misfortune and carelessness and instead appears to be a trend. Since 1997, five years after Pakistan’s last Olympic medal in any sport, Pakistan’s superiority in squash is no more. Like the Olympics and hockey, squash has nothing to showcase since the 1990s. The older generation still talks and recall with great delight the spellbinding achievements of the past while the present generation only has tales of the past to live on.

In Pakistan most things defy logic. Over the years we have all come to accept the reality of our warped existence and begun to believe that if something has to go wrong, there are over 100 percent chances that it will happen here. Apply that yardstick and most things fall into some kind of understandable pattern. We all know too well that the continuous abuse of this country has rendered it without any value. Every policy has gone horribly wrong and yet, as if possessed by demons, one demented leader after another has blown billions of borrowed money on schemes that would rate highly in any madhouse. No one is ever punished and the clichés that are endlessly mouthed are disconnected from the grim reality of the reality of life here. Many of us believe – we have no choice really – that we are over the hill and done with. That nothing will ever work – crooks will prosper and become the pillars of society and each venal leader will rise to grab something or the thing. We are aware that the larger issues are now beyond any solution but what cuts like a rusted knife into our very soul is how large the disconnect is, and the smallest of things that had any meaning are no longer there. And the world of Pakistan sports is no different.

It is very unfortunate that cricket, over the years, has overshadowed all other sports in the country including our national game – field hockey. Television, commercialisation and the advertising world have promoted cricket to an extent that it has become a Mount Everest that is badly affecting other sports in the country. Popularity of cricket, especially among the younger generation, has prevented the growth of other sports activities. Other factors for the failure to achieve continuous prominence on the international sports scene are largely due to petty politics, lack of funds and, above all, sports not a priority for the government. Pursuit and achievement of excellence in sport is costly in terms of time, effort, dedication and monetary resources. While an individual may be willing to invest his/her personal resources of time, effort and dedication to excel in a given sport, the necessary financial resources may not be available to the average Pakistani. In several countries national and local governments provide huge funds in support of the pursuit of excellence in sport. The Pakistan government also provide such ‘funds’ for the promotion of sport and sporting excellence. Unfortunately, the amounts are so meagre that they hardly even cover the expense of national sports teams travelling abroad. Now this really is a shame.

It is very unfortunate that cricket, over the years, has overshadowed all other sports in the country including our national game – field hockey. Television, commercialisation and the advertising world have promoted cricket to an extent that it has become a Mount Everest that is badly affecting other sports in the country. Popularity of cricket, especially among the younger generation, has prevented the growth of other sports activities. Other factors for the failure to achieve continuous prominence on the international sports scene are largely due to petty politics, lack of funds and, above all, sports not a priority for the government

What more lamentable is that when any Pakistan athlete, on his own, sparkles at the international level, he or she has to beg the government or the corporate sector for sponsorships. And they hardly get the support they need. Examples are of pugilist Muhammad Wasem, karate player Saadi Abbas and snooker star Muhammad Asif. The trio tried their best to get continuous help from the federal and provincial governments but failed. Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) President Lt Gen (r) Syed Arif Hasan helped karate player Saadi Abbas by arranging sponsorship for him from the International Olympic Council (IOC) and Toyota International for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in Japan. It is mind-boggling that the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC), headed by seasoned politician Dr Fehmida Mirza, recently surrendered sports funds of Rs sixty million back to the federal government, without distributing among the national sports federations or spending on the uplift of sports in the country. Perhaps we have forgotten that improving sports is as important as improving health, education and various other sectors.

What more depressing is that sports activities in schools, colleges and universities have touched an all-time low because of diminishing sports fields, poor systems and lack of interest in sports by young generation that have many other options to keep them occupied. But perhaps the worst aspect of this development is that educational administrators no longer feel that sports are an integral part of all decent educational systems. Some even think it is a waste of time. This is one of the main reasons why student representation in our national sports teams is becoming negligible compared to the past when most of our national teams, especially hockey and cricket thrived on student and university representation. This particular flaw in our educational system is one of the major causes of intolerance in our society.

Over the years we have become a funny nation that likes to live in a world of dreams and fantasies. We dream of excellence at international level in sports without even realising that the present sports set-up in Pakistan just does not have the capacity to deliver. Therefore, those who feel that the present set-up can be result oriented are not living in a realistic world. Modern sports structures all over the world have sports institutes as integral components of their systems. Even Bangladesh has one. It is unfortunate that after 72 years of independence we have not been able to establish one. There are a variety of reasons for this vital missing link in our sports. People at the helm of affairs either do not realise the importance of this institution or hesitate simply because they do not know how to go about it.

It is regrettable that Pakistan’s sports budget is the lowest in South Asia, less than that of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and even Afghanistan. Governments all over the world keep sports and education as their top priority, build infrastructure, hold talent development programmes for players and promote medical sciences in sports to compete the world of sports. India spends billions of dollars on sports, but in Pakistan it is totally opposite because sports are not our priority. Government officials and private sector are not interested in investing in anything other than cricket. Patronising only cricket and ignoring other sports is very unfair. Cricket does not have the kind of global competition that other sports have as its playing is limited to a handful of largely Commonwealth countries.

In dilapidated gyms and crumbling sports fields, Pakistan athletes lament the outdated equipment and obsolete training methods, which leave them struggling against foreign competitors who adhere to latest science-based techniques. The national sports federations cannot afford to hire good coaches who are familiar with modern training techniques. Athletes are truly frustrated because mostly coaches are not literate, and they have been teaching what they taught 30 years back. Without infrastructure a lot can be done, but without techniques no one can win. For women athletes, the conditions are even worse. They are not allowed to train outdoors, and there is hardly any familial support for talented young girls.

One honestly feel that we have the potential to produce good results if, and it is a big IF, we can evolve a modern scientific system — not too ambitious but one based on our national ground realities, available manpower and above all the capacity to deliver. The entire mindset has to be changed. The subject of sports is now a science and this is the starting point that everybody associated with sports in Pakistan needs to accept. There are certain imperatives and they need to be understood clearly. We also need to drill home the importance of sports in our national priorities: how sports provide the only recreational oxygen for masses, educate tolerance and are the only uniting national gel at this critical juncture in our history. It is time for the government to realise that Chinese sports model has to be followed as far as possible to channelise our youth and provide them avenues to excel. Such a strategy will automatically eliminate problem confronting our youth. Thus the present government, the POA, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) and the responsible sports officials of national sports federations should sincerely cooperate to develop such a vision for the good of Pakistan youngsters. Foreign coaches, sports exchanges, streamlined domestic competitions and sustained training camps should form integral components of this plan. This plan should be gotten approved from the Prime Minister, so that funds allocation doesn’t become a problem. The IPC Ministry, the POA and the PSB should then hold an in-depth meeting with office bearers of the concerned national sports federations to solicit their advice and opinion on improvement in this plan. Granted that the current situation seems to be hopeless but one has always been an optimist and believe that where there is a will, there is a way! g